Process of and apparatus for aging and compounding liquors



(No ModeL) 4 J. H. WELSH. PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR AGING ANDGOMPOUND ING L IQUORSL Jaye/afar.

Q Patented Oct. 24, 1882.

WIIIIIIE-E UNTTTJD STATES ATENT @rrrcn.

JOHN H. WELSH, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR AGING AND COMPOUNDING LIQUORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 266,569, dated October24. 1882,

Application filed January 26, i882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN H. \VELSI-I, a citizen of the United States,residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Process of and Apparatus forAging and Compounding Liquors; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing and the letters or figures ofreference marked thereon.

My invention consists in providing an improved process and apparatus forcompounding and aging whisky and other spirits.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing as follows:

A is a water-heating tank. B is the liquor-mixing tank, and D is theheating-furnace with heating-coil O therein. Pipes a, I), c, d, h, anda, with shut-off cooks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, afford communication.The tanks A and B and the heater D are shown in section.

The water-tank A is filled from the supplypipe to, and may be emptiedthrough the pipe h. By opening the throttles 2 and 5 and closing all theothers the water in the tank A will circulate through pipes b c, worm(J, and pipes d and h, and will thus become heated. By closing shutoff 5and opening cock 4 hot water may be supplied to tank B from A. Byopening throttles 3 and 4 and closing the others the contents of tank Bcan be heated by passing through pipes c, d, and e and worm U. Aspray-jet, f, may be placed on the end of the pipe 0, to spray theliquid entering tank 13 from the heater when desired.

Vhen it is desired to compound a liquor the components of the com pound,except what water is to be used, are placed in tank B, and the water tobe used is placed in tank A and heated to the required temperature,andis then supplied .to tank B by passing through pipes 71-, (I, and e,or through pipes b c, coil 0, d, and c. The compound, being thusprepared, generally requires to be thoroughly mixed. This can be done byopening stop-cocks 3 and 4 (others closed) and allowing the liquor tocirculate from B through pipe a, coil 0, and pipes 61 and e, which itwill do by the action of heat upon the coil. The amount of heat appliedto the coil is to be regulated according to the requirements.

Where it is desired to age or ripen the liqnor the spray-jet should bein place, and the liquor, as it passes from the tube 0, be sprayed intothe open atmosphere while hot, thereby affording an opportunity for theescape of those particles which are found onlyin raw or fresh liquors,known as fusel-oil. Itis essential that this spraying be done in theopen air, so that the fusel-oil will make its escape and not condenseand flow back into the liquid. Care must be taken to not overheat theliquid, and thereby evaporate and waste the liquor.

This process of ripening or aging can be of course used as well whetherthe liquor acted upon has been previously compounded or not. Thereforeit will be seen that my device can be used for aging unmixed liquors,for mixing and aging a compound, and it may be also used for diluting orlowering the proof of liquors.

I am aware that liquors have been heated and sprayed in a close vesselfor the same purpose as I do it in an open vessel; but in such cases thefusel-oil is condensed, and all or part of it finds its way back intothe liquor.

1 am aware that whisky has been dropped through a hollow columncontaining air, that it has been passed into a chamber containing air,and that a jet of air has been forced against a falling column orjet ofwhisky in a vessel, all for the purpose of aging the liquor. My processdiffers from all of the above, in that I eject the whisky into the openair, so that the lighter particles will become separated from the whiskyand escape out of the way of the mass being ejected from the nozzle.Therefore What I claim as new is 1. The process of aging liquors hereindescribed-via, heating the liquor and spraying it while hot in the openatmosphere, as de- 9 IOO tank A, liquor-tank B, heating-coil O, furnaceIn testimony that I claim the foregoing I D, pipes 11 c a e h, andstop-cocks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, have hereunto set my hand this 14th day of and6, for the purpose described. December, 1881.

3. In an apparatus for compounding and JOHN H. WELSH. aging liquors, thecombination of the tank B, Witnesses: coil (J, furnace D, pipes c d, andpipe 0, pro JNO. K. HALLOGK,

vided with spray-jetf for the purpose set forth. JACOB F. WALTHER.

